Barcelona’s summer plans are practically pinned to the fate of their shot-stopping department, which shook last season when captain Marc‑Andre Ter Stegen suffered what appeared to be a season-ending injury.
With Ter Stegen sidelined, 19-year-old Inaki Pena, lacking top-tier experience, was thrust into the limelight—leaving Barca scrambling in the market.
Their saviour came in January as a short-term fix: former Juventus keeper Wojciech Szczesny, coaxed out of retirement to steady the ship.
Since then, Wojciech Szczesny has acquitted himself well, eventually supplanting Pena as Hansi Flick’s go-to.
Barcelona have made no secret of their desire to retain him beyond June 30, which is when his current short-term contract expires.
While Deco reportedly confirmed a renewal was imminent, the club have remained silent and Szczesny is officially a free agent this evening.
No official images of the signing have surfaced, nor has the club released a formal announcement regarding Szczesny’s contract status, which has raised eyebrows among supporters.
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The prolonged silence is particularly unusual given how openly Barcelona previously expressed their desire to retain the veteran goalkeeper, making the lack of communication appear increasingly suspicious as the hours tick by.
Moving forward with both Szczesny and newly signed Joan Garcia from Espanyol appears to align with their strategy, but another key piece must first fall into place — Ter Stegen’s fate.
The German’s contract runs until 2028, but Barcelona are reportedly open to letting him go, in part to streamline their goalkeeper hierarchy.
As things stand, having four keepers—Ter Stegen, Szczesny, Pena, and Garcia—is unsustainable, and a departure from one camp would clear the path for Szczesny’s “renewal” announcement.
All eyes are now on the coming weeks: if Ter Stegen departs, Szczesny’s extension becomes logical and public.
If not, uncertainty will remain, prompting fans to wonder: will Barcelona finally resolve their goalkeeper conundrum before the season opener?
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